Turn with me to Titus, Titus
chapter 2. We'll read just four verses,
and there is certainly enough in these four verses, well, actually,
one verse we'll consider primarily, to take up what time we'll be
here this evening. Titus chapter 2. Let's begin reading at verse
11. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world. I've heard people say, if I believe
what you do, And what they're referring to is salvation completely
by God's grace and not dependent upon our works. They say, well,
then I would just go out and live like I want. I wish I could
live like I want, don't you? I want to live for God's glory.
But that argument won't hold water because the grace of God,
as we read here, teaches us inward, not written on letters, tablets
of the law, but inwardly on our heart. That's the only sort of
effectual teaching there is. Look at verse thirteen. Looking
for, while we're living as we're exhorted to do by God's grace
in this present world, looking for, looking for that blessed
hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us
from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people
zealous of good works. I heard Brother Scott Richardson
on more than one occasion make this statement. He'd say, I've
not gotten any bad news. since I got the good news. And
of course, what he meant was, in comparison to the good news
of salvation by grace in Christ, there was really no bad news
after that. To know him was enough. As the
old hymn writer expressed it like this, oh, this too makes
it good news, does it not? One hymn writer said, tempted
and tried, I need a great savior. I need a great savior. Nothing less than that will do
for me. The sort of savior that Paul
describes here, the great God and savior. He's describing one
person there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Will anything less than
that help me? And the answer is no. Or anything
simply equal to myself, would that be enough? And the answer
is again, no, of course not. Another hymn writer wrote this. I often quote it, and I hope
that I'm honest when I say I feel this is my case. If ever it should
come to pass that sheep of Christ should fall away, my fickle,
feeble soul at last would fall a thousand times a day. That's true too. That's true
too. So here we have a needy sinner. needing God's abundant grace. There's no doubt about that.
All God's sheep, if left to themselves, will go astray. That's their
nature. The only hope they have is the
sufficiency, the ability, the power, the grace, the wisdom
of their great shepherd. That's their only hope, not in
themselves, but in the great shepherd of the sheep. And that's
who Paul describes here at verse 13. Here's the great Savior. Yes, if we know our own hearts,
if we know just a little about our own hearts, we know that
we are tempted to stray. We know that we're weak. We know
that we're liable to wonder. Apart from this blessed truth,
we have a great Savior. a great god and savior. He's
both. He's both. There's no doubt about
my weakness. There's no doubt about my sinfulness. Oh, but on the other hand, there's
no doubt about his power. There's no doubt about his grace. There's no doubt about him being
the great god and savior. He's the god man. or that man
who is himself God. That's the one who shall appear
the second time without sin for his people. As Paul says here,
those that he's redeemed, he'll come back for. Turn, if you will,
over to Hebrews chapter 6. chapter nine. I'm sorry. Hebrews
chapter nine. Look what Paul says here. He
makes makes mention of this very fact. The reason Christ shall return What Paul
says, while we're living in this world, we're to, as my pastor
says, stand on the tiptoes of faith, looking for that glorious
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews chapter 9, Paul says
in verse 27. Now, he's using this as an illustration
of what he's going to say in verse 28. He says, as is it appointed
unto men once to die, and after this to judgment. Now, that's
final. That's final. Men die one time. One time. They don't float around
above the hospital bed and observe what's going on beneath. No,
they die one time. They stand before God one time. Paul says, after this, the judgment,
once. Notice what he says there, once
men are appointed to die. Then he applies that to Christ,
verse 28. So Christ was once offered, once,
to bear the sins of many. Now, either he did or he didn't.
Either he bore our sins away or he didn't. Either he succeeded
or he didn't. But Paul tells us here and everywhere
in scripture that he succeeded, that it was a completed work,
that he did exactly what he intended to do, that what he came to do. So Christ was once offered for
this reason, to bear the sins of many. and unto them that look
for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Paul tells us he'll appear the
next time to bring those that he redeemed the first time back
to glory to be with him forever. Isn't that what he told his disciples
that night? Oh, the great shepherd of the
sheep, knowing all things was about to come upon Him. Just
in a matter of a few hours, after He spoke these comforting words
to His disciples, He went out to that garden of Gethsemane
where he prayed and his sweat was, as it were, great drops
of blood, where the shadow of the cross was then eclipsing
his holy soul, and he prayed, Father, if it's possible, let
this cup pass from me, but nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. Facing that, and facing being
made sin, facing being forsaken by the Father, yet, yet, on the
very threshold of all that, he comforts his sheep. Someone pointed
out in the message that they were preaching from our Lord's
prayer in John 17. Of all the things he mentioned
there on the behalf of his sheep, all the things that he willed
for them, all the things that he prayed for them, he interceded
for them, not one time in that chapter does he mention their
sins. Not once. Read it and see. But
in John chapter 14, on that same night, he told his disciples,
I go to prepare a place for you. And he has. He has prepared a
place for all his people into the presence of God. He's prepared
a place of acceptance by his own holy sacrifice into the very
presence of God. But he didn't stop there. If
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself that where I am, ye may be also. You've been bought with the price. And Paul tells us here, those
he redeemed. those he paid for, he shall have. He shall have the full travail
of his soul. He'll have the full reward of
his sufferings. Every one of them. And this is
what Paul tells us here. Looking for that blessed hope.
Why is he so sure that Christ shall appear? Because he's coming
back to bring those that he redeemed. That's what he did when he came
the first time. The second time he's coming to
gather those he already redeemed to take back the glory to be
with him forever. He said, in my Father's house
are many mansions. I've heard preachers in trying
to convince someone to walk an aisle, tell sad stories about
mansions in glory, that'll be empty. Mansions that were prepared,
but if folks didn't make their decision, they would remain empty. No, not so. Christ said, in my
Father's house are many mansions. They're prepared for you. They're prepared for a Pacific
people, and they'll never be empty. I prepared them for you
and I'll come back for you that you might be with me there in
glory. I go to prepare a place for you. Remember in Exodus chapter 15,
the song of Moses, the song that Moses led, rather, when the children
of Israel crossed the Red Sea? We spoke on that a few weeks
ago. But one verse of the song says
this. thou and thy mercy has led forth
the people that thou hast redeemed. The people you redeemed, you
brought forth. And that's what Paul was telling
us here. Christ shall return. Look for him. You that he's redeemed
from all iniquity and purified to himself, look for him. He'll
come back for you. In Revelation chapter 14, we're
told concerning that multitude before the throne, the angel
told John, these were redeemed from among men. These were redeemed
from among men. There's a distinction there.
They were redeemed from among men. God, in His grace and mercy,
Christ, by His redemption, did something for them that He didn't
do for everybody. They were chosen out of the world,
and those same ones that God chose are the very ones They're
very ones. Not one more, Lord. Not one less. And they're not one or two that
might be saved. They're a multitude that can't
be numbered that will absolutely be saved without a doubt from
all sin. In 1 Thessalonians, look at that,
if you will. Turn back a few pages in your
Bible. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.
Paul here talks about this very thing in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse
16. I like the way he speaks so matter-of-factly. Doesn't leave any wiggle room
for uncertainty. He speaks of these things as
facts. He speaks of these things as
certainties, as absolutes, and God give us grace to receive
them as absolutes. Verse sixteen, Paul says, the
Lord himself shall descend. Just as he came the first time,
he'll come the second time. The Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ. Those that have
died in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive, those
believers that are yet living when Christ returns, then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. The dead that have died in Christ
that are arising from the graves, we which are alive will be caught
up together with them. Christ will have everyone he
paid for, that he bought with a price, will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall
we ever... Here's a good description of
heaven. And so shall we ever what? Strum on harps of gold? Oh, no. So shall we ever be with
the Lord. Isn't that what he told the dying
thief? Today, you'll be with me. Two words full of meaning. With me. With me in glory. With me forever. With me without
sin. With me in the presence of God
Almighty. Look what Paul says in chapter
five of continuing this same thought.
And he says, for God had not appointed us to wrath, not like
the children of darkness that he spoke of. No, no. No, God
had not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation, complete
salvation, by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that
whether we wake or sleep, whether we die or live, we should live
together with him. Wherefore, comfort yourselves
together, and these are comforting words, are they not? And edify
one another even as also ye do. Now back in our text in Titus.
This is the exact thing that we read of throughout scriptures,
the certainty of the ultimate and complete everlasting salvation
of God's people. This is what Isaiah looked down
through time and spoke of concerning the suffering Savior. Isaiah
53, we almost know it by heart. And Isaiah said, surely the Lord
hath put him to grieve. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. It's as if Isaiah stood on Mount
Calvary that day with John looking at what was taking place. He
spoke so clearly and so plainly. But he didn't stop there. Yes,
he said, surely he has borne our griefs. There's no question
about it. He bore our griefs. He was made sin, but bless God,
Isaiah didn't stop there, did he? That's not the end of the
story. He said, he shall see a travail
of his soul and be satisfied. There'll never be a miscarriage
concerning the redemption procured by Christ Jesus. There's no such
thing, no such thing, not according to the Word of God, as a redemption
that doesn't redeem. Everywhere you read of redemption. It speaks of an accomplished
work. It speaks of something that was
done, something that was final, something that was complete.
Everything flows from that. It's not added to it. Our faith
is not added to Christ's redemption and thereby it becomes effectual. No, no, no. Oh, it's not true
to say, well, he died for nothing unless someone takes advantage
of it. Oh, no, no, no, no. If that were
the case, he would never have cried, it is finished. The reason
he cried it is finished is because it is finished. In Hebrews chapter
9, Paul said, he entered in. What a Savior. What a glorious
Redeemer. He entered in one time. Why at
once? The earthly high priest went
in daily, offering a sacrifice. Morning sacrifice, evening sacrifice. And then he went into the most
holy place on the Day of Atonement once a year. And he had to do
it over and over again. Why? Because it's not possible
that the blood of bullocks and goats should ever take away sin. But this man, This man, the God-man,
the mediator, he entered in one time into the holy place having
obtained. Do you picture that? Obtained,
grasped, secured, accomplished eternal redemption for us. complete atonement thou has made
and to the most farthing paid atonement. No wonder Isaiah said,
he shall see a travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Paul here speaks of the great
god and savior and certainly He couldn't be called that if
he can't do all that he desires to do. He's not the great God
and Savior if he doesn't accomplish all the will of his Heavenly
Father. If he's not able to do that,
he doesn't deserve to be called great. If he only makes an attempt
That sounds rather human, doesn't it? If he only puts forth an
effort, if he leaves it undone or half done, that sounds more
like me. That sounds ordinary. That sounds
common. It certainly doesn't sound God-like. It doesn't certainly sound like
a great God and Savior. Oh, but that's who Christ is. He shall be great. Remember what
he told the religious leaders? John 8, we have Abraham as our
father. And Christ said, before Abraham
was, I am. Abraham rejoiced to see by day. And they said, what do you mean?
Who do you think you are? You're not even 50 years old
yet and you claim to have seen Abraham? And he said, before
Abraham was, I was. And if you were really the children
of Abraham, you would be rejoicing right now to see me. Because
Abraham saw me and he rejoiced to see my day. They said, when
did Abraham see you? Oh, he saw him. He saw him. He saw him in that sacrifice
of his son that day as he offered up Isaac, his only son. He saw
Christ and he named that place Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will
provide, and he did. He did. In the fullness of time,
God sent forth His Son, the great God and Savior, to do what? To redeem them that were under
the law. Oh, yes, the great God. He shall
be great, greater than Abraham. Another time, He said, Behold,
one greater than the temple is here. Everything in the temple,
every piece of furniture, Every sacrifice, it all points to me. And that's why when he cried,
it is finished, God himself with an invisible hand from top to
bottom rent that veil in twain, showing access into the very
presence of God. At another time he said, behold,
a greater than Solomon is here. greater than all. He has the
preeminence over everyone and everything. The more we're made
to see of this great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the more
we'll realize and God enable us to have it so. The more we see of his sufficiency,
The more we see of his greatness, the more we see of his glory,
the more we'll be enabled to sing, it is well with my soul. We sing that, don't we? It is
well with my soul. Why wouldn't it be, Lonnie? Why
shouldn't it be? If the keeping of my immortal
soul is entrusted into the hands of that one who is himself the
great God and Savior, then why wouldn't I be safe in his care? Oh, yes, we can sing. Believers
can sing. It is well with my soul. Why? Because my soul is in the
hands of my great Redeemer. Because I am in the hands of
Him who said, I give them eternal life. I give it to them. They'll
live as long as I live. And no man can pluck them out. You see that hand? That's the
hand of the great God and Savior. Who's going to snatch me out
of His hand? Oh, blessed assurance. Jesus
is mine, full of grace and truth. Secondly, notice in verse 11,
it says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation, this
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, gives great grace. Grace that is greater than all
my sins. That's what Paul wrote in Romans
5, didn't he? Grace abounded, or rather, sin
abounded through Adam. Adam fell, and we fell in. Adam died, and we died in him. Oh, but grace, but grace, where
does that come from? Where does that come from? How
can I receive grace? How can I experience grace? Grace
and truth only comes through one source, one avenue, one way,
and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. Where sin abounded, God's grace
doth much more abound. And that is grace that is greater
than all my sin. And that's a whole bunch. That's
a whole bunch of sin. That's a mountain of sin. Oh,
but Paul says, God's grace reigns above it all. The grace of God,
again, verse 11, that bringeth salvation. That bringeth salvation. Isn't that comforting? The grace
of God. It does that. It doesn't attempt
to do it. It does that. We who are parents,
all of us, we have children that don't know God. What's our hope? What's our hope? The grace of
God that bringeth salvation. that one who is the great God
and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who's mighty to save,
that one whose hand none can stay, that one who always has
his way, that one who can bring any sinner down any moment he
desires to, bring them down to the footstool of mercy where
they'll beg for grace, they'll beg for forgiveness because he's
mighty to save. Oh the grace that oh rather all
the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh the grace The grace
that brought it down to man. Oh, that great gulf that Paul
spoke of in Ephesians chapter 2. We were once so far off. Can you picture that? Can you
picture that gulf between a simple soul and a holy God? Now, what's
going to span it? Nothing. It won't be the labors
of my hands. It won't be my works. It won't
be my faith. It won't be my repentance. It
won't be my preaching. Only one thing spanned that insurmountable
gulf, and that was the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
it did it so thoroughly. and so completely and to God's
everlasting satisfaction that I once was so far away, now I'm
brought nigh by the blood of Christ. How close am I? How close
is Jesus Christ? That's how close His children
are. How accepted is Jesus Christ? That's how accepted everyone
that in Him is. Oh, yes, the grace of God that
bringeth salvation. How does salvation come to man? There's only been one way always. Old Testament and new. It comes
by the grace of God that bringeth salvation. God sent his son. We didn't ask for him, did he?
He came unasked, unsought, unmerited. I was found of them, the prophet
said. and Paul quotes it in Romans
ten and twenty, I was found of them that sought me not, that
asked not after me. He did the seeking. He did the
seeking. I'm the good shepherd of the
sheep. He said, I come to seek and to
save that which was lost and he succeeds. The grace of God
that bringeth salvation. Notice there, bringeth salvation. Doesn't just offer salvation. Lazarus is dead, but I'm going
to go offer him life. No. Lazarus sleepeth. Lazarus is dead, but I'm going
to awake him out of death. The same with us. He didn't wait
for us to take the first step. Oh, no. He took all the steps,
all the steps of grace. The great shepherd came to where
we were. He sought us and he found us.
When he found us, he called us by his grace to himself. You perhaps have heard the story. There was a priest speaking to
a farmer one time, trying to convert him. And he said, we
have a Saint Dennis that lived years ago. And to show you God's
approval upon him, and to prove the truth of what we teach, the
Catholic Church is the church. Saint Dennis was beheaded. And
a great miracle occurred. After being beheaded, he picked
up his head. and tucked it under his arm and
walked a thousand miles to St. Peter's Basilica. And the old
farmer said, will I declare? He said, I'd have no problem
at all believing that. If you can convince me, he took
the first step. If he took the first step, he
took them all. And if Lazarus can take the first
step out of the tomb, he doesn't need Christ to come there. And
if a sinner can take the first step to God, he doesn't need
Christ. Oh, but the great shepherd of
the sheep comes to where we're at. And what does he do? What
did he do? He said, live. We were dead in
sin, brothers and sisters. We lived like dead people. We
acted like dead people. We talked like dead people. We
thought like dead people. We were dead to God and dead
to grace. We were spiritually dead. But
you had he quicken. You had he quicken who were dead
in trespasses and sins. And that same grace that bringeth
salvation takes us from the dunghill of sin and sets us among princes. Takes us from the depths of our
depravity, from the graveyard of our sin, all the way All the
way, our Savior leads us. Grace, all the works will crown. through everlasting days. It
lays in heaven the topmost stone and well deserves the praise. It was grace that taught my heart
to pray. Isn't this true? Wasn't this
true with you? It was grace that taught my heart
to pray and made my eyes overflow. Tis grace that's kept me to this
day. will not let me go. Notice now verse 13 again. Looking
for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Notice what it
says. Not a great God and Savior, but
the great God and Savior. There's only one. There's only
one. Not one of many. Not even one
of two. But only one. Jesus Christ the
Lord. One mediator. One high priest. One great God and Savior. Who
is He? Who is He? Oh, He's that one. that only one, Paul says, Jesus
Christ. The only name, Peter told that
Sanhedrin, the only name given among men by which we must be
saved, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who is our savior,
Paul says, is also our great God. Isn't that good news for
great sinners? We have a great savior. Sinners
that are nothing, have nothing and can do nothing. For sinners
like that, this is good news. Sinners without strength, needy
sinners, needy cases need a great physician. A great physician. Ask Bartimaeus. What did you
need, Bartimaeus? A great physician. What did you
need? Ask that demoniac of Gadara.
What did you need? Who rescued you? Who cast out
those 2,000 demons? Who was it? And he'll tell you
about a great God and Savior. Ask that poor woman who that
day pressed through the throng, the crowd, to get to Christ,
who had spent all of her living on physicians, and was no better,
but rather grew worse. Ask her what happened when she
reached out and touched the hem of the garment of the great physician. You know what happened. You know
what happened. She was healed that quick. that hemorrhaging her bleeding
to death was dried up that quick. Virtue flew from him to her. Oh, there's power in the blood
of the crucified one that cleanses us from all sin. And he still
does, does he not? He's still able to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by him. As long as there's
a needy sinner in this world, there'll be the great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ. As long as there's a sinner anywhere
on this earth, Having a need of a great Savior, he'll be there. He'll be there. The great Shepherd
will be there seeking and saving his last chosen sheep. Then the last thought, looking
again at verse 13, notice what Paul says. Our great God and
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Savior. That's the sweetness
of it, isn't it? Taste and see that the Lord is
gracious. There's an article in your bulletin
on the back page by Darwin Pruitt. He speaks a little about when
he was seeking God's mercy and going to church and just sitting
there and listening to the folks sing and he thought, oh, I wish
I had what they had. Oh, I want what they had. I want
to taste. I want to experience. And he
said, by God's grace, I did. Oh, taste and see that the Lord
is gracious. Peter said, unto you which what?
Believe he is precious. He's known by personal experience. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. That's the sweetness of it. Oh,
child of God, we're not standing on the outside looking in. Oh,
no. By the grace of God, we've been
brought into the very household of God, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. Bobby sings this hymn, or she
has before. Isn't this sweet? I am his and
he is mine. I am his and he is mine. Love with everlasting love. Led
by grace that love to know. Spirit breathing from above.
Thou has taught me it is so. I've tasted. and found that the
Lord is gracious. Oh, this full and perfect peace.
Oh, the transport all divine. In a love which cannot cease,
I am his and he is mine. Heaven and earth may fade and
flee. Firstborn light and gloom decline. But while God and I
shall be, I am his and he is mine. An everlasting love. Those who are looking, Paul says,
to you that are looking, he shall appear without sin, who gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
looking for that blessed hope, and it's a good hope, who gave
himself for us. Jesus Christ is our hope, now
and forever. Years ago, in the 1800s, there
was a young man seeking mercy, seeking God's grace. God had
gotten him lost. He got up one morning to go to
a Baptist church. As he walked through the streets,
there was a snowstorm, snow falling so quickly, that he couldn't
get to where he was going. So he ducked down an alley to
a little primitive Methodist chapel. That's not where he wanted
to go, but that's where he ended up. He went in and he sat down
and he said, there wasn't half a dozen people. The pastor didn't
even make it. So some fella stood up and he
opened his Bible to Isaiah chapter 45. And he read this verse. Look unto me. and be ye saved
for I am God and there is none else. Look unto me. And the man looked straight at
this young fellow and said, young man, you look miserable. All
you need do is look. Look unto me and you just kept
repeating it. Look unto me and be ye saved. And that young man
wrote afterwards at that moment God removed the scales from my
eyes. And he said, I looked. And I saw Christ, the sinner's
substitute. And he said, I'll never forget
that. He said, I could have looked my eyes out. And then years later,
at age 58, when his earthly remains were taken to Norwood Cemetery
in London, of course, you know I'm speaking of Charles Spurgeon,
This is engraved on his tomb. Ever since, by faith, I saw the
stream, thy flowing wound supply. Redeeming love has been my theme
and shall be till I die. When this poor, lisping, stammering
tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song
I'll sing thy power to save. looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works. There was a man named Christopher
Love. Because he refused to renounce
the gospel that he preached and deny Christ, he was sentenced
to be burned at the stake. And as he was in the cart being
taken out to the place where he was to be burned, and there
was another young man with him that suffered the same fate,
he looked at the young man and said, don't be afraid. Don't
be afraid, young man. We're soon going to dine with
the king. And when they tied him to the
stake and the flames began to rise around him, he shouted out,
thank God. for Jesus Christ. Thank God for
Jesus Christ. And soon, so shall we ever, be
with the Lord, the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. God bless you.